Railroad gate



P. FRULLA A ril 22;, 1927.

RAILROAD GATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 5, 1926 :E' Frulla April 26. 1921.

' P. FRULLA RAILROAD GATE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 &

( h lve/"tow E Fruua attomoq J Patented Apr. 26, 1927.

UNITED STATES IPACIFIGO FRULLA, F MEMPHIS, TENNESSEE.

RAILROAD GATE.

Application filed August 3, 1926.

My invention relates to gates for railroad crossings and has for its object the provision of novel mechanism whereby, when a train is approaching a crossing, barriers will be automatically extended across the road to obstruct the same and tend to prevent pedestrians and vehicles from entering upon the track. The invention also includes means whereby, after the train has passed across the road, the barriers will be automatically returned to normal position, so that, after the train leaves the road passage across the tracks will be unobstructed. The invention seeks to provide mechanism for the stated purpose which will be elficient in operation but simple in construction and, therefore, inexpensive to produce, install and maintain. The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings and consists in. certain novel features which will be hereinafter first fully described and then more particularly pointed out in the appended claims. I

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is aplan View of a railroad crossing having my gate mechanism installed thereat, some of the parts being removed in order that other parts may clearly appear;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal vertical section, the gates being lowered;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the gates raised;

Fig. 4 is a detail section on the line 4t of Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is a detail of the main operating lever;

Fig. 6 is a detail section of the gate mounting, taken approximately upon the line 6-6 of Fig. 1.

In the drawings, the reference numeral 1 indicates a section of a railroad track and the reference numeral 2 indicates a crossing intersecting the track and having the usual boarded floor or platform whereby the track rails are brought into flush relation to the surface over which pedestrians or vehicles travel. In carrying out the invention, I install at each side of the track and 50 also at each side of the road, a gate housing 3 and upon each housing is pivotally mounted a gate 1 of the well-kn0wn mast type adapted, when lowered, to meet across the roa-dwa as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2. The shaft 5 which carries the mast or gate Serial No. 126,887.

l is rotatably mounted through the sides of the housing 3 and within the housing is equipped with a. rocking arm or lever 6 extending in both directions diametrically from the shaft, a retractile spring 7 being connected to one end of said arm and to the bottom of the housing, as shown in Fig. 6, whereby the gate will be normally held in the uprightposition indicated in Figs. 3 and 6. arm or lever 6 is secured one end of a cable 8 which passes to and under a guide roller 9 on the floor of the housing and then passes through the inner side of the housing toward the track, as shown in Fig. 1. The outer end of this cable 8 is secured to a coupling 10 which may conveniently be a mediately adjacent the rail to extend longi 't-udinally of the track and be attached to a second coupling or ring 13. It will be noted, upon reference to Fig. 1, that two coupling rings 13 are provided and they are connected by a. cable 14L so that they will move in unison. It will also be noted that a cable 11 is provided for each of the four gates and all of these cables extend to and are attached to the respective coupling rings 13. To one of the rings 13 is attached a power cable 15 which extends over a guide roller 16 suit-ably mounted within a pit 17 constructed at a distance from the gates and located below the track. The said cable 15 extends downwardly within the pit and passes under a guide roller 18 therein to be connected through a link or the like 19 with the lower end of a main trip lever 20. It will be noted that a trip lever 20 is provided at each side of the crossing, and they are preferably disposed midway between the track rails and normally project upwardly so that they may be actuated by the pilot or front end of the locomotive of an approaching train. Cables 21 are also attached to the coupling rings 10 and extend under the track rails to be coupled to a connecting cable 22 and a power cable 23 which are duplicates of the cables 11, 14 and 15, respectively, but extend longitudinally of the track in the opposite direction with respect to the crossing so that the gates may be operated by a train approaching in To the opposite end of the rocking to lower the gates, it will ride either direction. This ar angement is obviously advantageous when the railroad is a single track road but, of course, when the road is a double track road, it is not necessary to duplicate the main trip levers and the cable systems and a single lever and cable system may be employed in each track.

The main trip lever is constructed in sections, as shown most clearly in Fig. 5, the lower section 24 having a lateral foot 25 to which the cable 15 is connected, and the upper end of said section is pivotally mounted, as shown at 26, within a coupling housing 27, the upper lever section 28 being pivoted at its lower end, as shown at 29, within the upper end of the said housing. A retractile spring 30 is attached to the lower lever section Qtand to the wall of the pit l7 and tends to hold the lever in the normal position shown in Fig. To the upper end of the coupling 27, a second retractile spring 31 is attached, said spring being also secured to the wall of the pit and tending constantly to maintain the coupling in the position shown in Figs. 3 and 5. The pivot 26 also serves to mount the lever upon supporting bars 32 within the pit and con stitutes the main liulcrum for the lever. Upon referring to Fig. 5 more particularly, it will be noted that the coupling open at the side more remote from the gates and closed at its side nearer the gates, while the corresponding edges of the lever sections 24. and 28 are in alinement normally and lit flat against the closing web or the coupling. Movement of the upper lever section towards the gates independently of the lower section will be thereby prevented so that, when the upper section receives impact from a locomotive moving toward the crossing, the lever will he swung as an entirety and will exert a pull upon the .cable 15 to effect lowering of the gates. When the train is leaving the crossing, however, and impinges upon the lever section 28, the said section will yield to the impact and swing about the pivot 26, as shown by dot-ted lines in Fig. 5, without imparting movement to the lever section 2% so that there will be no movement imparted to the power cable and the gates will not be thereby disturbed. To restrain the lever against movement under the influence of the spring after the gates have been lowered, a latch is provided. This latch, a shown most clearlyin Fig. 1, consists of a hook bar pivotally mounted at one end upon the wall of the pit l7 and having its hooked end beveled whereby, when the lever 20 is rocked against the end oi the latch and push the same aside, the latch being drawn into engagement with the lever, after clearing the same, by a spring 34 disposed across the pit and attached at one end to the latch and at its opposite end to the wall of the pit. To effect firm non-slipping engagement between the latch and the lever, the lever is preferably provided with a notch 35 in its edge in which the hooked end of the latch may firmly seat so that positive engagement between the latch and the lever will be elfected. To release the latch, a releasing lever 36 is provided at the opposite side of the crossing from the main operating lever and the latch. This releasing lever is mounted for rocking movement between the track rails and adjacent one oi them and is connected with the latch through a cable 37 attached at one end to the releasing lever and extending therefrom longitudinally of the track over suitably arranged guide rollers to be attached at its opposite end to the latch, as shown in Fig. 1.

The operation of the apparatus will, it is thought, be readily understood from the foregoing description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawings. Assuming that a train is ap n'oaching from the left in the drawings, the locomotive will impinge against the upper projecting cud of the main setting or trip lever 21) at the left of the crossing and will rock the said lever so as to exert a pull upon the power cable 15 which pull will be transmitted through the several cables ll to the l'uCliing arms 6 and the said arms will he rocked so that the gates will be lowered. This movement of the lever will carry it past the head or hooked end of the latch :53 which will at once spring into cngngcuu-nt behind the lever and hold it against reverse movement. The gates will remain lowered until the locomotive passes over the crossing at which time the front end of the locomotive will impinge against the cm'rcspondiug releasing lever 36 and exert a pull upon the cable 87 to release the latch :33, whereupon the spring 30 will at once return the lever to its initial position, the :ablcs thereupon becoming slack so that the tension or the springs 7 will be relieved and they may contract to raise the gates. As the train passes beyond the crossing, it will, oi? course, ride over the trip lever 20 at the right and will rock the upper section of said lever so that it will assume the position indicated by the dotted lines in Fig. 5 without imparting any movement to the gates. It will be understood, of course, that before passing onto the crossing the locomotive will actuate the releasing lever 36 at the left but the lever will he thereby moved in a direction to slacken the attached cable 37 and, consequently, will not impart any movement to the corresponding latch. It a train approaches from the right, the operation will be the same as that just described, except that the pull upon the gates will be transmitted through the cables 23,

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22 and 21 instead of through the cables 15, 14 and 11 and the last named cables will remain slack.

I t will be noted that my gate is very simple in the construction and arrangement of its parts and is not apt to get out of order. It will operate easily and efliciently at all times and will not offer any obstruction to the normal travel over the road. The pits 17 will, of course, be covered to prevent accumulation of snow, ice or dirt therein and the covering will. generally be in the form oi hinged doors 88 mounted upon the ties immediately adjacent the track rails and having their opposed edges spaced apart as indicated at 39, to accommodate the main operating levers. The releasing levers are yieldably held in upright position by tension springs 40 attached to their lower ends and to adjacent ties.

Having thus described the invention, I claim:

1. In an apparatus for the purpose set forth, the combination of gates mounted for rocking movement in a vertical plane, a main operating lever mounted at a distance from the said gates, yieldable means for holding the said lever in position to receive impact from a locomotive, operative connections between the lever and the several gates whereby to lower the gates, yieldable means connected with the gates for holding them raised, means to engage the main levers and hold them against reverse movement after actuation, a releasing element disposed at the opposite side of the gates from the actuating lever to be rocked by a locomotive, and a connection between the said releasing lever and the said restraining means.

2 In an apparatus for the purpose set forth, a gate support, a shaft mounted in the said support for rocking movement, a gate carried by said shaft, a rocking arm secured on said shaft, a spring acting on said rocking arm to normally hold the gate in raised position, means attached to the rocking arm at the opposite side of the shaft to act thereon in opposition to the firstmentioned means, means to be actuated by a locomotive for operating the last-mentioned means whereby to lower the gates, and means for returning the parts to normal position.

3. In an apparatus for the purpose set forth, the combination of a gate mounted for rocking movement, a main lever mounted at a point remote from the gate, an operative connection between said lever and the gate whereby to close the gate upon actuation of the lever, a latch arranged adjacent the lever, means for engaging the latch with the lever upon actuation of the lever, a releasing lever connected with the latch whereby to disengage same from the lever, and means for returning the lever to normal position after disengagement from the latch.

l. In an apparatus for the purpose set forth, the combination of a gate, means for yieldably holding the gate in open position, a main lever mounted at a point remote from the gate and consisting of alined sections, and a coupling pivotally connected with both said sections and normally holding the same in alinement whereby one of the sections may move reversely relative to the other section without imparting movement thereto, a connection between the relatively fixed section of the lever and the gate to effect closing of the gate, means connected with the said lever section to yieldably hold the same in normal position, and yieldable means connected with the coupling to yieldably hold the coupling and the free section of the lever alined with the relatively fixed section of the lever.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

PACIFIGO FRULLA. [L. 1-3.] 

